The Blood in Our Veins
by Sparky1834
Summary: The gang has just escaped the Fire Nation after the failure on the Day of Black Sun. Aang still needs a firebending teacher, and one shows up right on their doorstep. A story of Katara learning to trust Zuko. Follows the characters' thoughts throughout some canon events, intertwined with my own non-canon. Potentially Zutara.
1. The Newcomer

**A/N: As the summary suggests, some of this story will somewhat follow canon, mostly focusing on the thoughts and perspectives of the characters. I'm trying not to rehash a bunch of canon that you guys already know, and I'm sorry if it comes off that way. I'll work on it :). Also, I'll occasionally switch whose perspective you're reading.**

 **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Zuko

Somehow, Zuko knew that the Avatar would be heading towards the Western Air Temple. _How fitting_ , Zuko thought, _that I start completely opposite destinies in the exact same place. I wish Uncle were here this time._ He scowled at himself. _Now I don't even know where he is. So much has happened, and he hasn't even been around to see it._ Zuko made punching motions, and flames shot out into the thin air. He wasn't angry, but he could feel the disappointed looks Uncle would have given him. Zuko still hated himself. He knew he should have been a better person, if only for his uncle. He knew he didn't deserve any love or forgiveness, and he didn't expect any. _Uncle was the only one who cared about me, and I let him down_. He looked at the flames in the engine, and firebended inside of it to keep it going. He knew joining the Avatar wouldn't be easy. _Why am I doing this?_ He hesitated. _They probably won't believe that I've changed_. _What if they won't let me in?_

The cliff face and the stalagtite temple came into sight. _Well, here goes nothing._ Zuko landed flat at the top of a cliff out of sight of the Avatar. He grabbed his bag and extra rope and hiked to the edge. After tying the rope around a large rock, he rappelled off the cliff and descended down onto the temple floor.

Zuko's last memory of the Western Air Temple was with his uncle, just weeks after he'd been banished. _I was so short-sighted then_ , Zuko thought. Back then, he wanted only to find the Avatar and take him down. Only then would his honor be restored. He knew now that joining the Avatar and gaining his trust would be even more difficult. The Western Air Temple? That was just the beginning of his trials.

 _And now, we wait._

Katara

"Hello. Zuko here." The newcomer waved his hand.

Katara turned and gasped at the backstabber. _What is he doing here? Why does he have to show up now? We just barely escaped the Fire Nation, and now we have to face this kid again? When will it end? Zuko is the last person we need right now._ Katara paused her thoughts and looked Zuko up and down, not impressed. He was wearing casual Fire Nation garb; no prince, but no peasant, either. Zuko was trying to explain himself. _What is he trying to do?_ She planted her feet and got into her fighting stance, water pouch open and ready.

Zuko rambled on. "I've changed, and I, uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. ..."

Katara started, skeptical. _What? Why in the world would he want to join us?_

"... Oh, and I can teach firebending."

 _Crap._

Zuko was not a personable, easygoing firebender. Then again, it was hard to find one that was, let alone one that would teach Aang firebending. But the group had just been discussing that Aang needed a teacher. Had Zuko been listening to that? How much had he heard? Why was he acting so nice all of a sudden? _He's playing on our desperation,_ Katara thought.

She sharpened her glare. "Why in Tui's name should we trust you? How stupid do you think we are?" she snapped at him.

He held his hands up in defense. "Look, I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't, either. But, I'm honestly trying to be a better person. I've made a lot of bad decisions in my life, and I'm trying to make things right." Zuko's eyes scanned the group and rested on Aang. "Aang, you once said you thought we could be friends. I want to make it up to you. I know you still need to learn firebending. I can teach you all I know."

Aang gave Katara a quick glance, his eyes asking hers for help. She looked at him with a dark expression, shaking her head. _He's pretending to be vulnerable and open, but I've seen it before and I know he won't hesitate to betray us again. I can see right through him. He's tricky. We can't trust him._ _Don't you dare let him into the group. Don't fall into his trap._

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done," Aang replied.

Katara nodded in agreement. _Good. Time get rid of him once and for all._

Then, to everyone's surprise, Zuko bowed to his knees and held his arms out. "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

 _Oh? Now he's groveling like a pet polar bear dog. How pathetic._ "Get out of here!" Katara spat. She bent her fingers, and a water whip came out of her pouch. "Leave now, or this temple will be the last rock you'll ever see."

She glared at him menacingly, until finally, he stood up and walked away.

 _What is he up to?_


	2. Anybody But Him

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter! I haven't forgotten you. And thanks to Anon23 for your input. I hope this chapter is even better than the last. Sorry that this chapter is quite long; I just didn't want it to end, but I had to stop eventually :). I hope it's not too canon-y. Thanks for reading.**

 **Usual disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

Katara was voilently shaken awake just after dawn. The ground tremored relentlessly, and her eyesight blurred. Her body shook uncontrollably. She flailed her arms around to grab on to whatever could stabilize her. Eventually, she found something firm and braced herself, curling into fetal position. She could hear rocks crashing against each other with loud, terrifying ferocity. She had never been in an earthquake before. _Spirits, let it stop._ She prayed to La, she prayed to Yue, and she prayed to all the other spirits in the sky, that the ground wouldn't give way, causing her to tumble down the cliffside to her death. She didn't even know what was down there. Was it solid ground? Was it a river? It was so far down. Katara clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hey, watch it!" Toph yelled while kicking her leg out of Katara's grip.

The rumbling died down after only a few seconds.

Katara opened her eyes and stood up, dazed and lightheaded. All that shaking gave her a headache. Rock dust was everywhere. Haru and the others had stayed the night inside the temple. There was no sign of them. She hoped they were doing all right. The rest of the group seemed to be in similar predicaments. Sokka was grumpy and mumbled that his sleep was disrupted. Aang stood by his bedroll, looking at the ground and contemplating what happened. Toph was as stoic as ever. If anybody knew what happened to the ground, it was her. Katara put her hands on her hips. "What was that, Toph? What did you do?" She was not in the mood for antics.

"It wasn't me! The ceiling just sort of fell!" Toph answered.

 _The WHAT?_?

"Guys," Aang piped up as he glanced towards an adjacent temple structure, "we need to get out of here. Now."

Katara followed her eyes to where he was looking. The figure she saw on the other building put a pit in her stomach. She thought he would be long gone, but there he was, basking in his strength. Sokka liked to call him "Combustion Man," but Katara thought it was too generous. The name didn't show enough danger. As much as "combustion" fit his destruction, the worst part was that he tended to show up at the most inconvenient times. It all made sense. The ceiling didn't just fall - it exploded. Katara felt overwhelmed. _First Zuko, now this guy. Why can't we get a break? We can't fight both of them at once._

Aang made shooing motions with his arms. "Everyone, go. I'll hold him off and catch up with you."

"Aang, wait!" Sokka yelled. "We can't keep running from this guy. We have to finish him off, once and for all. You're not doing this by yourself." His voice was indignant. Katara agreed with him. She put Combustion Man to the front of her mind, pushing back the gnawing feeling that Zuko was still out there and knew their location.

 _I swear, if Prince Betrayal shows up and attacks us while we're vulnerable -_

Katara had no time to think. She promptly strapped her water pouch to her waist and ran behind some pillars near a fountain. Sokka got into his fighting stance and shot his boomerang out towards the hunter. Toph stomped her feet to the ground, summoning rocks and thrusting them towards Combustion Man. "We're in this together, Twinkletoes. I never run from a fight," she affirmed.

Combustion Man was ready. He easily dodged Toph's unaimed rocks, and Sokka's throw was too short and came back without hitting anything. He took a deep breath and looked right at Aang. A spark and a static sound came out of his "third eye", and a fiery beam shot towards the airbender. Aang jumped high to avoid the attack, but a temple column behind him wasn't as lucky. The stone exploded into thousands of little rocks that shot in every direction like daggers.

Katara bended shots of fountain water towards the stones, encircling them in sharp ice. "Toph, help me out." Together, they hurled the frozen rocks. With Toph's bending and Katara's aiming, they should have been a force to be reckoned with. But Combustion Man avoided most of the rocks, using his metal arm to guard his face.

He aimed once more at Aang, who was on his glider flying towards the very man trying to kill him. Aang landed on the same ledge on which Combustion Man stood. He pushed a forceful gale of air from the tip of his glider towards the brute. Combustion Man stepped back, but he quickly regained his balance.

On the ground below, the team was getting restless. "It's too hard to hit him without hitting Aang!" "I can't see where he is!" "I don't want to lose Boomy!" All they could do was watch.

"STOP!" Zuko came running out from behind a corner.

 _No...anybody but him._

"I order you to stop!" he yelled at Combustion Man.

 _Wait, what?_

Combustion Man continued aiming his beams at Aang, who dodged them every time. Aang would reciprocate with a gust of wind or a chunk of rock from the ledge they were on.

Katara watched Zuko with a scowl. _If he's the one that orders Combustion Man to stop, then he must have been the one to order him around in the first place!_ She could think of only one reason Zuko wanted Combustion Man to stop. "What are you trying to do, Zuko? It's obvious you still want Aang for yourself!" she said.

Zuko ignored her. "I won't pay you!"

No change in Combustion Man.

"I'll pay you double to stop!"

Still, no change.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Finally, Combustion Man turned. Aang took advantage of the opening and bended a rock right into his "third eye". Combustion Man growled and yet again turned towards Aang, and breathed in to prep another beam. But the beam never came. A fireball came out of nowhere, and the spark ignited without the beam. The explosion knocked Aang back. He grabbed his glider and returned to the team as the building behind him turned into shambles.

Katara stood in awe and relief that one of her two problems was taken care of. She opened her pouch, ready to attack Zuko. But what she saw made her stop. Zuko had his arm out towards where Combustion Man had previously been standing. A small wisp of smoke came off of his fist. Resolutely, he lowered his arm and stood before them.

"Zuko, did you just-" Sokka gaped, dumbfounded, "did you just cause Combustion Man to ignite himself?"

"I mean, that's not his name, but yes," Zuko replied.

Katara was still unimpressed. "Oh, sorry. We got his name wrong," she said sarcastically.

"Looks like Combustion Man just became Combusted Man," Sokka grinned.

"Zuko, I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you," Aang spoke up.

"Why are you thanking him? You do realize he was the one that sent Combustion Man after us in the first place, don't you? He's almost had us killed multiple times!" Katara wouldn't let Zuko off so easily today. She was tensing up. She wanted to attack him on the spot. "And why are you still here?" she snarled at Zuko.

Aang went up to her. "Katara, calm down. He helped us get rid of Combustion Man. We should at least hear him out," he spoke in a reassuring voice.

He was so calm, it was hard for Katara to stay riled up. She relaxed and sat down on the fountain's wall. "Fine."

* * *

Zuko didn't know how to start. His previous attempt to join the group did not go over so well. _I can't screw this up again._ There were so many times in his life when he couldn't let go of his shame of being banished. He wanted a second chance to right all the wrongs. The only way to do that was to help the Avatar restore balance to the world. This was not just about honor; it was about forgiveness and trust. He decided to start from the beginning.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now," he paused. Everyone was glaring at him. _Don't screw up._ "Our acquaintance hasn't exactly been friendly. There are many things I now regret, things that I need to apologize for."

Aang nodded.

Zuko looked at Katara and Sokka. "I'm sorry I attacked your village. I only wanted the Avatar, but I left destruction in my wake. Words cannot describe the suffering your people must have gone through while I was there, and the cleanup that was required afterwards. Banished though I was, I should have acted like a prince and been more diplomatic. I was very shortsighted then. I promise, for as long as I live, that that will never happen again."

He thought he could see their eyes slightly watering. Talking about their home must have been a sore spot for them.

"Furthermore," he added, "I shouldn't have taken your necklace and tried to bribe you to get the Avatar." He shared a glance with Katara, who quickly looked down and touched the necklace. He continued looking at her. "I know I don't deserve your trust, seeing as I betrayed you back in Ba Sing Se."

They remained silent. _I must be doing something right._

Zuko moved his gaze over to the rest of the group. "I also need to apologize for sending that Fire Nation assassin after you."

The girl in green spoke up. "So that _was_ you! He put Katara and me in jail and nearly blew us all up!"

He looked at her and Katara. "I'm surprised he didn't do more than that. His name was Hazo, and he was once the most feared mercenary in the Fire Nation. He could do any job in half the time it took a regular assassin to do. When I got back to the palace and realized the Avatar could still be alive, I knew Hazo could take him out." Zuko faced Aang. "Looking back, I'm relieved he didn't."

He saw some slight nods.

 _How do I convince them that I'm not who I once was?_ He spent a few seconds gathering his thoughts.

"Too many times, I've been driven by impulse. When I really wanted something, I would fight for it, and I let my emotions control me. I was selfish, thinking only of myself. Hurting others was never the intention, although sometimes it was the result. I can't make whole what I've broken, and I won't forgive myself if I don't at least try. I've pained those I care about because of my stupid impulses. Do you remember that Kyoshi village I attacked?"

Zuko received glances of acknowledgement, inviting him to continue.

"I burned that village to the ground because I was careless. My fire was fueled by rage. I am forever indebted to those people because I could not control myself or my fire. Fire, while powerful, has a mind of its own. Once the fire is started, it spreads wherever it wants to, only relenting after regret kicks in. I know my mistakes, and I won't let them happen again."

Aang spoke up. "I think I see where you're coming from, Zuko."

Zuko was both relieved and surprised. "You do?"

"What you just described, about impulse and control, was exactly me when I tried to learn firebending. In my excitement to finally ignite just a little leaf, I burned Katara, and I vowed to never firebend again. Not being able to control what I had started was the worst feeling in the world. It was because of me that she got hurt," Aang replied.

Silence filled the air for about four seconds. Those were the longest seconds Zuko ever felt. _If I have the Avatar's understanding, I'll be all right for now. As long as we don't start attacking each other, they might trust me._

"I think you _are_ supposed to be my firebending teacher." Aang's words rang like sweet music to Zuko's ears.

"Really? I mean - well, I'd be honored. And I won't let you down." Zuko gave a traditional Fire Nation bow.

"But," Aang replied and Zuko stopped, "I need to ask my friends for permission first."

Zuko nodded. "That's understandable."

Aang looked at the girl in green. "Toph, what do you think?"

Toph shrugged. "He's sincere enough, that's for sure. No lie in him. You do need a firebending teacher, after all. Go ahead and let him in the group."

 _One down, two to go._

"Sokka?" Aang faced the water tribe boy.

"I'll go with whatever you think is best." He sounded cold, almost unsure, but it was good enough for Zuko.

Aang then looked at the girl, "Katara?"

Zuko's chest was thumping in anticipation. He was a nervous wreck. _I bet if she says 'no', there's no way I'm getting into the group. They trust her too much._ He looked at her and they shared a short glance. It wasn't totally cordial, but it wasn't harsh, either. He couldn't help but notice her delicate blue eyes. _Katara, was it?_

"Fine. If you think letting him in will help us, then he can stay with us," Katara responded.

Zuko let out what seemed to him the longest breath he'd ever held. "Thank you. Really."

* * *

After Zuko came back with his belongings from his little camp, the rest of the day was filled with awkward pleasantries and avoidances. He offered to start teaching Aang firebending right away, but Aang wanted to fly around in the temple. He offered to go fishing with Sokka, to which the reply was, "Nah, I got this. We don't need very much anyway." He tried making small talk with Toph, but when his conversation started with, "So, you're blind, huh?", the earthbender just made incredulous faces at him. Katara was off waterbending somewhere, and he didn't dare go over to her, fearing a fight would break loose.

So he found a quiet spot to sit and meditate. He thought about many things - how they would fight the war, what his father thought of him now, where his mother might be, how mad Mai would be, and how lost he still was to his uncle. _I wish I knew where he was_.

Eventually, he stood up and began to practice firebending, imagining that Uncle was there right behind him, watching and critiquing his every move. He practiced drill after drill, getting every form right until he couldn't get it wrong. He knew his uncle would be proud of him now. He focused on what Uncle would say: "Mind your footing. Take deep breaths. Concentrate on the angles of your arms. To bend fire effectively, you must move your body effectively. Let your passions guide you, but do not let them take over."

Hours passed. The sun started to drift down the horizon, and Zuko was still practicing his forms. Soon enough, he saw Sokka walking up to him. "We're starting to make supper now, if you want to join us."

Zuko relaxed and nodded. "Okay. I'll be right there."

* * *

Katara couldn't wait to find a body of water to practice waterbending. She still couldn't believe that Zuko of all people would be joining their group. She was in awe for the rest of the day. She resolved that she would practice for at least a couple of hours every day. There was no way that she could let her guard down. If Zuko made any wrong move towards Aang, she would be ready to take him out.

She and Sokka looked around for somewhere to fish, and eventually they found a stream. It wasn't a lot of water, but any amount was good enough for her. Sokka complained that the fish in the stream were small, so he went upstream, leaving her to herself.

 _Finally, some peace and quiet._ She debated taking a nap after being so crudely awoken that morning, but she decided to relax with waterbending.

She made every shape in the water she could think of. A whip, a fish, a wave. She even formed a person shape and pretended it was her father. She let go of the water and watched it fall downstream, never to be found again. _Just like Dad. Who knows if he's okay. He's probably been taken prisoner, being tortured or something._ She cringed. She didn't want to think about that. It was bad enough that they left him in the Fire Nation. She wished she could have said "I love you" one last time, or said a proper goodbye. But she knew that she would never get that chance again.

Her eyes started watering. _Why is all of this happening to us? Why couldn't the Fire Nation have just not invaded?_ Thank goodness she was alone. She hated showing her weaknesses.

She was lost in bending and in thought for a while before Sokka came back with a small bundle of fish.

"How many did you get?" she asked.

"Five," he replied, looking proud.

Katara gave a small laugh. "Not bad. At least that's more than what you got the other day. I could help you out, you know. Because I can waterbend the fish to you, in case you forgot."

Sokka looked slightly upset. "Hey, I'm not totally useless, you know. I can't bend, but I can still provide for my friends."

"I know, I know. I was only kidding. I guess it's almost time for supper, then. The sun is starting to set." Katara made sure to fill her water pouch before she left the stream.

They arrived back at the campsite and got a fire going. They skewered each of the fish and put them above the fire, careful to turn them over at the right times. Aang made a _blech_ sound, after which he got out some bread and an apple from his pack and began eating. Toph rubbed her hands in anticipation, "I don't know what this is, but it smells great!"

"Just some trout, courtesy of _moi_ ," Sokka replied, always the proud one.

"It's not much to taste, but it's good with a little saffron," Katara added.

"Maybe we should invite Zuko," Aang spoke up. They all went quiet. For some reason, everyone looked at Sokka.

"Okay, fine, I'll go get him." Sokka relented. "Where'd he go, anyway?"

Toph piped in. "He went to go firebend, I think. Beware of him; he's pretty awkward."

 _He's probably keeping up with his firebending like I'm keeping up with my waterbending. Getting ready for a fight._

Sokka left and Katara realized that even though she still hated Zuko, she couldn't really do anything about their situation. She could let Zuko in the group, but she didn't have to like it. _He hasn't done anything to me to prove he's trustworthy._ The others didn't seem to care as much, but she knew in her heart that she would never trust or forgive him. He would forever be a thorn in her side.

Sokka came back with Zuko, who sat down opposite of Katara. _Oh, so he's sitting away from me? Good. He should stay away if he knows what's good for him._ The fish were done cooking, and they each grabbed a stick and ate in silence. Awkward silence.

"So, uh, what do you guys like to do for fun?" Zuko broke the silence.

Katara spoke up. "We stopped having fun when your petty little Fire Nation attacked everyone and destroyed too many lives."

Everyone stared at Katara. She kept eating her fish nonchalantly.

Sokka tried to break the ice. "Well, there was this one time where we all picked a vacation destination to go to, and we rode on Appa to a bunch of cool places. So that was fun. Or there was that time I made my space sword."

"Space sword?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, made from meteorite ore. Master Piandao helped me make it."

"He is a good man. A family friend, actually."

Sokka was flabbergasted. "You know him?"

"Yes," Zuko replied, "he trained me in dual swords."

"Wow, I didn't know that. You must be pretty good, then."

Zuko gave a little smirk. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

 _Unfortunately._

Sokka seemed impressed with Zuko, and Katara couldn't believe it. They actually seemed to be getting along. She could tell that Zuko was just trying to be friendly so he could gain the others' trusts. But as soon as he had the right opportunity, he would turn his back on them. She just knew it. She had to look away from him.

Finally, she couldn't bear it any longer. She stood up and grabbed her things. "I'm going to bed."

"Already? It's not even late," Aang said.

"It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I need some alone time," Katara replied. "Plus, we need to do some more training in the morning."

"Suit yourself," Sokka said as she walked away to her little room she'd found in the temple.

Katara was indeed tired. Tired from the fight with Combustion Man. Tired of running away from her problems. Tired of Zuko and his fake friendliness. She closed the door and sat at a small table to rest her head in her hands. She still couldn't believe that no one else seemed to see through Zuko's ruse. She wanted her father back, to give her support and be a protector. But she was stuck in the middle of the Western Air Temple surrounded by people who wouldn't see danger if it knocked on their door. She felt alone and overwhelmed.

There was a knock at her door. Katara sighed and slowly got up to open it.

It was Zuko.


	3. Worth a Shot

**A/N: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Zuko stared at Katara in disbelief as she walked away from the campfire. He couldn't help but think that her attitude was his fault. He knew she hated him, but couldn't she have been more cordial about it? He didn't treat her any differently from how he treated the others, but for some reason, she seemed to take everything personally.

"Is she always like this?" Zuko asked once Katara was out of earshot.

"Pretty much," replied Toph.

"Sometimes," Sokka added.

"Not really," said Aang.

 _Well, if that's not ambiguous, I don't know what is._

Zuko aimed his hands towards the darkening sky. "I don't get it. You guys seem fine with me. But if she holds some sort of grudge against me, then shouldn't you, too? Why aren't you all furious with me like she is? I've attacked you all fairly equally." He glanced at Toph. "Well, except for you. You're newer."

Toph shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe it's this thing she has with new people joining the group. She and I would butt heads _a lot_ when I joined. Couldn't get along at all." She dug her toes into the soft dirt. "But look at us now. Sure, we're not exactly best friends, but we've been through tough times together, so we've bonded that way."

Sokka spoke with a mouthful of fish, "It will probably just take time. I wouldn't worry about it."

"If you say so," Zuko said, not totally convinced. There had to be some other way. Time was not a luxury they could afford. Sozin's Comet was fast approaching, and he had to earn each of their trusts before the Fire Nation could stake its claim on the world.

The group sat in relative quiet, listening to the gentle crackle of the campfire.

After a short while, Aang spoke up. "Zuko?"

Zuko simply looked at Aang in ackowledgement.

"What happened between you and Katara in Ba Sing Se? In the cave?" Aang asked.

The question was innocent, yet it tore at Zuko. The answer came to him almost immediately.

"Regret," Zuko replied. He realized the answer probably wasn't very informative, so he began to clarify. "When I was thrown into the cave, she went on a little rant on why she hated me and the Fire Nation, and how I was using her as bait to catch you. In reality, I was only there because my sister threw me in there." Zuko looked at the group. They were intently listening. _Do they not already know the story? Did Katara not tell them?_ He sighed and looked down at his feet, studying the clasps on his shoes. The fire in front of him gave him a welcome warmth. "When Katara was done ranting, then things got personal. She talked about her mother, that the Fire Nation took her away. I didn't know what to say to that, so I just said 'I'm sorry. That's something we have in common.'"

"They took your mother away, too?" Sokka asked. "What happened to her?"

Zuko didn't want to think about losing his mother. He wanted to forget it all ever happened. "They did, but that's a story for another time," he simply replied. "Anyway, then we got talking about my scar being a representation of the Fire Nation to her. She seemed sympathetic; she even offered to use her fancy spirit water to heal it." He purposefully left out the part with her touching his face, when he had felt most vulnerable.

"That sounds like something she would do," Aang piped in.

Zuko looked up at him. "Yes, but if she had used it on me instead of on you, you wouldn't have survived Azula's lightning, and the Fire Nation would have already won." He could see the realization in each of their faces. He was suddenly grateful he still had his scar. _Well that's a first._

"Do you think it would have worked? Healed the scar, I mean?" Sokka wondered out loud.

"I don't know. My impression was scars couldn't be healed, but she thought it might work," Zuko recalled. He paused for a bit. "We had some sort of unspoken trust down there. I could tell she was opening up to me, and I to her. I didn't expect that from her. It was honestly pretty strange. That trust didn't last, of course. It was then that Aang and Iroh found us."

"Then you turned against Iroh and sided with Azula," Aang finished the story.

Zuko nodded. "Bingo. That makes three people I regret betraying in that cave: you, Iroh, and Katara."

"I bet that's why she's having a hard time accepting you into the group," Aang replied. "You betrayed whatever trust she had in you."

"That would make sense. How do I fix that?" Zuko asked.

"You could try talking to her," Toph finally spoke up. "I mean, I believe you. Maybe she will, too."

Zuko raised his eyebrows, quizzical. "You mean right now?"

"Wouldn't hurt to try," Sokka added, standing up. "Come on, I'll show you which room she's in."

Zuko was hesitant to take up his offer. It was true that it wouldn't hurt to try. His situation couldn't get much worse; Katara already distrusted and loathed him. He stood up and brushed dirt off of his trousers. "I guess it's worth a shot."

Sokka led Zuko around various hallways and corners in the stone temple. It was dark now, but the moon was shining light through windows that lined the halls. Zuko got more apprehensive at every step. He didn't know what to say to Katara that would convince her to believe he'd changed. He racked his brain for what to say, but his thoughts were fleeting, and he couldn't focus. His mind seemed to get erased at every second. At last, Sokka brought him around a corner and stopped, pointing at the end of the hall.

"Her room is at the very end." Sokka turned on his foot and started walking in the direction they came. "Good luck. You'll need it."

Zuko was nowhere near ready to talk to Katara, but he nodded and forced his legs to move towards her door. He still had no words prepared. He just hoped the right words would come to him in the moment, and he would say whatever came to his heart.

He arrived at her room. _Well, here goes nothing._ He gently knocked on the door.

* * *

"Can I help you?" Katara huffed. The question was asked so flatly, it sounded rhetorical. She was in no mood to see this face at her door. She could almost feel the disdain coursing through her veins.

"Can I talk to you?" Zuko asked.

She crossed her arms. "You're already doing that. What do you want?"

"I want to apologize for what happened in Ba Sing Se."

Strangely, she was intrigued enough to hear him out. "Oh?"

"Siding with Azula was both the hardest and stupidest decision I've ever made. It's my biggest regret - even bigger than being banished. I just thought you should know that."

He looked right into her eyes, and for some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was leaning against the doorway, arms down, hands open. _Well, he definitely doesn't_ seem _like a threat._ And here she was, standing defensively with her arms crossed, glaring so intently that she hoped he would feel intimidated enough to go away.

Katara felt her foot repeatedly tap the stony ground underneath her. Far from a nervous tick, her foot tap was a way to get some pent up energy out of her. For a few grudgingly long seconds, the tapping was the only sound in the air. Zuko remained looking at her, expecting a response. She didn't know how to react to his confession. She hated that he was speaking so gently to her, yet she was too tired to fight with him. Katara wanted to believe he was being sincere - that he had put his past behind him and truly regretted his actions. But in her heart, she knew that he still struggled to do the right thing. The road to becoming allies was going to be a very long one. Even so, she realized that being angry with Zuko all the time wouldn't solve anything, even if she didn't want him around.

Katara huffed yet again, this time in resignation. "Apology accepted."

His face seemed to soften. "Thank you. Can..." he paused. "Can I ever be forgiven?"

"No," Katara shook her head. "Not today, anyway. It's still too soon."

"I understand." He turned on his heel to face the doorframe. "Good night, then," he said as he vanished down the hall.

He was gone before Katara could respond. She closed the door and turned around, leaning against it. _That sly dog, trying to be all friendly. "Good night"? Only friends and family say that to each other. And he is_ definitely _not at that level._

She walked over to her bed, sliding off her shoes and untying her hair in the process. She climbed into the blankets and tried to go to sleep, but couldn't get Zuko out of her mind. She didn't think anyone could change temperaments so quickly and so dramatically. And yet, as often as she had seen him in he past two days, he seemed very non-coercive and non-aggressive. _He's gotten suspiciously soft._ _Either he's good at faking it, or he's actually changed. That facade can only last for so long. Only time will tell if he's honestly a better person now._

As much as she hated it, thinking about Zuko was a necessary evil for Katara. He was in the group now, and she had to learn to work with him. Regardless, she refused to let her guard down. _He may have changed, but he's still very capable of taking us out. I'll only forgive him if he can prove to me that he won't hurt any of my friends, especially Aang._ He was already the source of too much grief _._ She made a promise with herself that she wouldn't start trusting him until she was done recovering from all the pain he and his nation had caused her.

She was nowhere near ready to forgive him.


End file.
